By Zephyria 
Winning Hearts is Paramount
I originally enjoyed operating discreetly.
There was no grand reason; I simply disliked anyone knowing my movements. Unfortunately, this was a characteristic of most villains or those with something to hide, so I was often misunderstood.
“Kyle.”
“……”
Was it because I had been living like a well-fed pig in a peaceful era? I didn’t even notice Asella’s heavy footsteps approaching and was caught off guard.
“……Hmm.”
I tried to hide my embarrassment as I rose from my prone position, brushing off the grass clinging to my upper body.
“Just resting.”
“Yes.”
“What are you doing here?”
This place was one of the most secluded spots in the Talim’s backyard. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for me to create a secret passage to the outside in such a place.
Asella glanced at the spot where I had been lying before turning his head towards me.
“I was checking the path for the waterway… Excuse me.”
Apparently, I hadn’t brushed everything off, as Asella lightly removed something from my shoulder and back.
“Waterway? What waterway?”
“It’s for the swimming pool inside the Greenhouse that you previously ordered. I saw the architectural plans, and it passes near here…”
“……?”
Asella stopped speaking abruptly. Then, he glanced at me once before clearing his throat and continuing.
“I recalled that there was a space near here where Kyle often rests, so I came to inspect it.”
Only then did I understand what Asella was saying. So, there was a secret passage I had made here, and because the waterway happened to pass nearby, he was worried it might be discovered during construction, so he came to check if it was still there.
“……”
“……”
A silence, both short and long, passed. Now that the Greenhouse was nearing completion, this place would no longer be secluded. Leaving aside moving the location of the secret passage, I didn’t even know how long Asella had known I had made something like this here. And he hadn’t said a word to me.
Perhaps noticing my eyes narrowing slightly, Asella said defensively.
“I kept silent because I thought you didn’t want it known.”
“……”
“I will tell them to move the waterway’s location.”
“It’s fine. Just do it as planned.”
It was probably a blueprint completed with the optimal route calculated, and I couldn’t just have them scrap it all to protect one secret passage.
“How long have you known?”
I asked as I started walking, and Asella followed behind me, saying,
“I’ve known from the beginning.”
“How? Did you put someone on me?”
“No, you specifically told us not to follow you because you didn’t need an escort. How could I do that? If any excessive impact is applied within a certain range centered around Talim, the Security magic activates.”
Now that I thought about it, Asella had mentioned something about security often, but I had listened so casually that this mishap had occurred. More importantly, wasn’t the fact that I knew so little about my own castle a bigger problem?
I stopped walking, turned my head, looked at Asella intently, and asked.
“When you say ‘from the beginning,’ you don’t mean…”
“I’ve known since Kyle first made a hole in the castle walls when he was around twelve years old.”
“……”
When I fell silent, Asella added defensively.
“I didn’t mention it separately then either because you seemed to want to keep it a secret.”
“How kind.”
“Thank you.”
“Yeah……”
As I started walking again, Asella followed silently behind me without making a sound. I didn’t have anything to say, so I was looking at the white cumulus clouds hanging in the clear blue sky when Asella asked.
“How should we prepare this year’s birthday banquet?”
“What’s there to prepare? Just do it like we always have.”
“Like we always have… Yes, I understand.”
I couldn’t help but look at Asella again, sensing that he was drawing out his words more than necessary. He met my gaze and said something strange with a smiling face.
“The kitchen staff says they can’t stop smiling these days because Kyle hasn’t been skipping meals.”
“……”
Why was he following me around and talking so much today? I was so taken aback by his behavior, which was so different from usual, that I was momentarily speechless.
“They say they’ve been looking up foreign recipes and ingredients lately to find things you might like.”
“……”
Most of that was going to be eaten by Aska, not me. But I couldn’t pour cold water on their enthusiasm, so I chose to remain silent.
“They’ve been excited for weeks about planning to make all sorts of things at the birthday banquet soon…”
“……”
“As always, I will cancel the banquet this year.”
At my pointed words, I looked at Asella with a dumbfounded expression and asked, just in case.
“Are you threatening me to hold the banquet?”
“Threatening? How would I dare to do such a thing?”
“Then why are you saying such pointless things?”
What did I have to do with what was being said in the kitchen and what their plans were? Asella, who usually didn’t say anything other than what was necessary, was suddenly acting like this, which made me suspicious.
“Are you sick or something?”
“No, I am healthy.”
“Is it time for you to retire?”
“I may have a few gray hairs, but I am still in good health.”
Indeed, Asella’s condition was no different from usual, except for the fact that he was talking a lot.
Was it because I had been going to the kitchen often lately because of Aska? Every time I went, the discomfort they showed towards me seemed to be gradually disappearing. So, they must have been talking among themselves, and that information had reached Asella’s ears.
“……”
Just three or four years ago, a Servant had fainted when he made eye contact with me, but perhaps the saying that humans are creatures of forgetfulness was true.
Just because I had been going in and out of the kitchen a few times and exchanging a few words, Asella had become so talkative. Come to think of it, a Servant I had met in the hallway had even greeted me with a smile.
If the Servants living in the same castle were like this, what about the other nobles? Mahir had always talked about the various side effects of a reign of terror, and now I felt like I understood what he meant.
If fear disappeared from reverence, seeds of doubt would sprout in some way. Some would feel excessive familiarity, while others would develop a rebellious attitude towards the once mighty imperial power. The Servants had revered me from a close distance, so it must be the former.
It was a side effect that wouldn’t have occurred if I had gained genuine respect instead of forcing it through fear and violence.
Could the fact that the son of Duke Amir had caused a ruckus in my castle also be one of the results? I had thought he was just crazy because he didn’t want to live, but perhaps the child really wasn’t afraid of me.
He was young, so he wouldn’t have directly witnessed or felt Khalifa’s reign of terror; he would have only read about it in records or heard about it from others. So, naturally, doubts would have arisen.
Moreover, Mahir, who was currently in charge of all state affairs, was walking a path completely opposite to Khalifa’s, which made it even worse.
I suddenly snapped out of my deep thoughts. Asella, perhaps not wanting to disturb my contemplation, was simply standing next to me, even breathing quietly. I stared at him silently.
Wrinkles had formed around his eyes, and his hair had turned gray compared to when I had first met him. Nevertheless, Asella still maintained a proper posture, and there was always moderation in all his actions and speech. He was a meticulous man with a perfect appearance, not a single wrinkle on his clothes, but today, his expression seemed a little softer.
Was it just today, or had it been like this for much longer?
“Banquet……”
I muttered to myself, not taking my eyes off Asella.
“Maybe we should do it this year.”
“That is news that everyone will be happy to hear.”
When Asella smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepened a little more.
“How is Your Majesty doing these days?”
“There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly noteworthy to report, but shall I investigate further?”
I nodded.
If Khalifa was in a bad mood, or conversely, if he was in too good of a mood, it was best not to hold the banquet. It would be troublesome if he brought slaves and made them fight to the death as a form of entertainment instead of giving gifts, like he had done at my birthday banquet once.
I suddenly remembered losing the balloon that Asella had blown up for me when the blood that had soaked the floor that day had reached my feet.
When was that? Was I eight or nine years old? Even then, I was too old to be carrying something like a balloon, but Asella had insisted so much that I had carried it around throughout the banquet.
Would Aska like balloons too?
I pondered for a moment before saying.
“Blow up a few balloons too.”
“……”
Asella’s eyes began to widen at my words. His lips were also slightly parted, and his expression clearly showed great surprise. So, I inadvertently said defensively.
“It’s not for me to carry around, it’s for Aegis… Anyway, just one.”
“I will prepare it without fail.”
“……”
Slightly daunted by his enthusiastic response, I nodded with an awkward expression and started walking. Because his gaze was too burdensome, I couldn’t even look at him anymore, so I didn’t turn my head even once until I returned to the room where Aska was.